


For a Day

by clantail (ideallyqualia)



Category: Spyro the Dragon (Video Games)
Genre: Canon Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-07-14 08:37:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7162676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ideallyqualia/pseuds/clantail
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hunter becomes the hunter becomes the hunted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For a Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kisuru](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kisuru/gifts).



> Dear recip, I’m so glad you chose spyro for a request! Winter Tundra was one of my favorite homeworlds in the series, so I decided to write a fic set in the second game.

"So. How am I supposed to do this?" Spyro kneaded his feet on the floor and stared at the snow-packed grass.

"Ripto's up there," Elora said. She pointed at the large, sprawling castle spanning most of the area in front of them, dominating the landscape and carved into the mountain range. Lights glowed from the top spires and in the walls.

"That looks pretty high. Can you see everything in the tundra from up there?"

Hunter scratched the back of his head. "Kind of."

"Ripto can see us from here, then."

"He can probably see us right now. I don't know _why_ he'd want to spy on us, but he can do it."

"He probably put a seal on the door to the inner chambers, too," Elora said. "Only the magical resonance of orbs can break the seal. It's like how a key clicks around inside a lock."

Spyro stopped her with a claw. "I don't need that kind of explanation." He glanced back at the castle. "Any ideas on what I should do?"

"You need orbs for the door."

"That's not what I meant." Spyro grumbled and flicked his tail. "Am I supposed to sneak around here to get them? Ripto can see everything happening on the tundra."

"I don't know if he can actually _do_ anything," Hunter said.

"Is the castle armed with anything?"

Hunter exchanged a silent, thoughtful look with the ground, his paw at his chin.

Elora sighed and explained, "There's stuff inside, but it's not long range."

"But is anything going to run out and attack me out of the blue if I get closer?"

Hunter glanced at the sky, his eyebrows creasing in another quiet moment of contemplation. Elora cuffed his shoulder.

"Aren't you going to help?"

Hunter grimaced and hitched his shoulders to shield himself. "I don't remember much about the castle!"

"You know what?" Elora looked at Spyro. "I think he should help you. The castle doesn't have any possessed flying objects or suits of armor running around, if that's what you're thinking, but Ripto might have brought something with him. Hunter, go check the castle for Spyro while he collects orbs."

"You want _me_ to go do reconnaissance on _Ripto_?"

"If you know what it is, then you should go do it." Elora waved her hand at the castle.

"Yeah. Go do it, Hunter," Spyro said, his voice striking teasing tones.

Hunter steeled his shoulders and straightened. "Alright. I'll do it."

"Just like that? You're eas--"

"That's right, go on now." Elora pushed him at his back. "Stay out of sight."

Hunter saluted and marched off, heightened to vigilant stiffness as he walked. Elora shook her head.

"And what are you going to do?" Spyro asked her. "I'm getting orbs. Hunter's spying."

"I'm staying here and overseeing things, for the others that were kicked out of the castle. You two need a way to coordinate between each other, too. Meet up around here and talk to me and Zoe if you want to save your progress."

"But I don't need to--"

"If _Hunter_ needs to."

 

* * *

 

Hunter dug his heel in the snow, lightly compacting it under his feet as he thought. Crush and Gulp were gone, but there were still a few monsters in the area, occupying the courtyard-like territory reined by the first set of walls. They milled around and remained unresponsive to the weather and each other. Hunter couldn't tell if they were guarding and patrolling under orders, or just acting on their own will.

He stooped and rummaged his hand in the snow, dusting it off until he found a pebble. He gave an experimental toss in the air. None of them noticed the blur of movement.

Hunter wound his arm back and threw it, aiming at one of the ox-monsters. It pelted one of their heads, and the ox yelped and jolted. The reaction emanated in a wave in the surrounding oxen, causing them all to screech and yowl, stirring into a stampede for the open entrance on the way further inside the castle.

The entryway crumbled, giving way to the hallway inside. Hunter cringed and crouched. His eyes shot to the windows at the top of the tower, but he couldn't see inside or tell if he was seen.

After a minute, he stood to a careful height and edged along the wall. The snow muffled his footsteps, but without more snowfall, his feet left a trail of prints behind him. He shuffled his feet to disguise the shape of his footprints, and blend them into the shadow of the dark walls.

Hunter reached the ruined entryway and placed his paw on it. "They're going to kill me when they see this."

He looked the damage over. There was no telling if Ripto heard the commotion. Based on the direction, he'd have a hard time seeing it, but there was also no telling what kind of magic he had, if he could scry.

Hunter stalked into the hallway and crept past another courtyard. The gigantic portal that summoned Ripto in the first place remained upright in the same place as before, standing empty and tall. He was tempted to creep closer and stand in the middle of it, but that would require moving into plain view.

He approached the staircase to the tower and rested against the cold brick wall. Elora and Spyro failed to give him any suggestions or directions on what to do. It was left to him to decide what to do, and how far to go.

Hunter decided that there wasn't any sure way of knowing if the seal was in place without checking the door himself. He made a dash for the stairs and slipped behind a column. He could finally see that the door was closed, but he slinked closer and tested it with a tiny nudge. It didn't budge.

"Thank god," Hunter mumbled. "He's sealed in himself in." He drew his paw over his head and let out a relaxed exhale. It wasn't that much of a problem now if he was seen; Ripto couldn't do anything, and the animals and monsters seemed fine.

His eyes drifted up, and he caught sight of a bright gold flash. An orb sat under the talons of a white-feathered owl, perched on the top of the wall in the distance. Horns grew from its head in slight curls, and its feathers grew down to its feet covering the orb. The low rush of wind matched its swooping hoots.

"This is _perfect_." Hunter made his way down the stairs and crept to the wall. "Stay right there, little birdie," he said in a low soliloquy as he fixed a foot on the wall, his eyes set ahead. The owl turned its head and hooted again.

Hunter climbed the wall at a steady pace, his paws grabbing for holds, but with careful movements instead of desperate scrabbles. He arrived at the top of the wall within minutes.

He extended a paw. "Hand over the orb, owl." He slid closer and reached for the orb.

The owl flapped its wings and screeched. The gusts formed in the waves of wings sent ice along the floor, freezing the air for a couple moments. Hunter wasn't affected by the cold magic, he was protected by his fur, but he covered his ears with his paws and grimaced against the screeches.

"Stop!" he shouted. He could barely hear himself over the owl, and the owl didn't respond to him, either. It leaned into the wind and leapt from the wall, flapping and rising in the air, orb still in its talons.

It flew higher, and after a few flaps, it released the orb. Hunter dove. It sparkled with the dim glint of winter light and the spinning afforded from gravity, and he watched as it continued to shine in its fall. It dropped too far for him to reach, behind the wall into a small spring of water, giving its vague shine through the splashing and sinking. It rolled away underwater and disappeared.

Hunter clapped his paws on his head. "I'm _not_ swimming to get it."

He stood there and muttered. The owl screeched again, and it swooped low to his head. Hunter tore down the side of the wall and took off running, screaming. It clawed at him and missed several times, and once he hid inside the threshold of a wall, it continued flying and headed off on its own. The hooting faded away.

The silence fell restless and uncomfortable to Hunter, and he busied himself with walking back out the castle. He dodged a few more oxen, trudged through the snow, and leapt off a rock on his route back.

"What'd you find out?" Elora asked. She sat on an eroded rock-step in front of the castle.

Hunter joined her and sat down. "Ripto's locked himself in. Nothing's going to happen until the door to the tower is opened. And there's just a bunch of animals moving around inside."

"What kind of animals?"

Hunter grumbled. "The magic kind that attack and probably release spirit particles."

"Hm. I think that's Ripto's doing. The animals are usually peaceful."

"I found an orb, but an owl took it." Hunter grumbled again and frowned. He rested his chin in his knees.

"Why didn't you get it?"

"It fell into a spring. It's underwater now."

"Oh." Elora glanced at a cave in the mountain. "Spyro's out at Cloud Temples, but I'll tell him there's an orb for him around here. Zoe last saw him."

"I'll take him when he gets here. It's hard to find." Hunter's gaze lingered on the cave, and his eyes lightened wistfully.

"No, you're not going."

"But I've only been to Cloud Temples once," Hunter said.

"You'd _fall_. It's up in the clouds. Just leave it to Spyro, he's a dragon."

"Fine." Hunter scooted away and shifted to stare at a penguin waddling in the grass. Puffs of snow drifted down from the grey sky, and after a while, it fell in a steady pace. The penguin clacked its beak and bit at an airborne snowflake.

"I hope we can go home soon," Hunter mumbled.

"Me too."

**Author's Note:**

> (General A/N that exists at the end of all my fics): I find unsolicited concrit really rude, I'm not looking for any. Please don't tell me someone was OOC/something happened you didn't like/it's too short/etc. in any bookmarks or comments.


End file.
